Jonathan Hansler

Jonathan Hansler is one of the British Horror Studio’s most cherished veteran performers, an actor, writer, comedian, and classically rooted dramatic presence whose work combines dark wit, emotional pathos, and sudden, unsettling intensity. A performer of great theatrical courage, Hansler has the rare ability to move from humour to heartbreak, from warmth to menace, with the precision of a seasoned stage actor and the instinct of a natural screen presence.

A long-standing collaborator with Hex Studios and the British Horror Studio, Hansler gave one of his most terrifying and memorable performances as The General in The Devil’s Machine, originally known as Automata. The role revealed the full force of his dramatic authority: severe, frightening, wounded, and unforgettable. His distinguished voice, at times recalling the old-world resonance of James Mason, has made him one of the studio’s most recognisable presences, while his darkly comic intelligence has led some within the studio to call him “the Sam Neill of the British Horror Studio.”

Hansler has also become a fan favourite through his work in Amicus Productions’ In the Grip of Terror, where he appears opposite Megan Tremethick and brings grave emotional weight to one of the film’s most memorable segments. His performance earned him the British Horror Studio Jury Award for Best Actor, recognising the pathos, dignity, and dramatic force he brings to his work. He is also beloved for his turn as the sinister sorcerer Akaris in Hex Studios’ 1980s fantasy-horror throwback The Slave and the Sorcerer, a role that allowed him to combine theatrical villainy with mischievous relish.

Beyond the studio, Hansler’s career spans film, theatre, comedy, writing, and advocacy. Publicly recognised as an award-winning actor, writer, and comedian, he has brought the same emotional honesty to his creative life that he brings to his performances, including courageous work speaking about institutional abuse and the lasting shadows it leaves behind. Looked up to by the younger actors of the British Horror Studio, Jonathan Hansler represents a rare kind of performer: witty, humane, dangerous, wounded, and magnificently alive to the dramatic possibilities of horror.